Patient Care Technician - Palliative Care Unit - FT

Patient Care Technician - Palliative Care Unit - FT

As a part of the patient care team, you'll experience an environment defined by a deep commitment to your personal well-being and professional development. This is a great opportunity to start your health care career journey, within a setting renowned for clinical excellence. You will provide nursing care that includes taking the patient's blood pressure, checking their oxygen levels and temperature, as well as assisting patients of all sexes and genders with bathing, meals, toileting, ambulation, and other basic needs. The Patient Care Tech/Nursing Assistant role can include one-on-one care of patients on suicide or safety precautions.

The Palliative Care unit is an adult inpatient medicalsurgical unit with 10 private patient rooms that have excellent views of the Roanoke Valley. Comprised of Registered Nurses and Nursing Assistants, our nursing team is specially trained at providing care for people living with serious illness. Palliative Care focuses on relief of symptoms and stressors of a serious illness. Our focus is patient centered, and with the Palliative Care team, we provide interprofessional assessment and comprehensive management of patients' and families' physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and bereavement needs.

This position is full time, working the night shift with every other weekend and rotating holidays.

A $7,500 sign-on bonus is available when external candidate meets applicable guidelines.

As part of the health care team, the Patient Care Technician performs basic clerical and technical clinical services relating to the care, cleanliness, safety, and comfort for patients of all ages. Provides quality service through a team oriented, collaborative approach to patient care.

• Provides basic nursing care and performs advanced technical skills for specified age groups according to established standards.
• Assists patients with activities of daily living.
• Transports patients, supplies, specimens, equipment, etc. within the facility.
• Contributes to Carilion Clinic's performance improvement activities.
• Exhibits competent knowledge of EMR and assists with chart audits.
• Participates in unit quality surveillance activities.
• Actively participate in unit shared governance and/or organization councils/committees.
• May lead unit huddle; participate in IDR's (unit based interdepartmental patient rounds).
• Provides support for department/unit staff scheduling, including covering lunch assignments.
• Reviews medical record for outstanding orders and notifies nurse of stat orders and medication changes.
• Orders department/unit supplies and equipment and stocks/organizes supplies.
• Assists with customer service in way-finding, answering phones, making meaningful connections with patient and visitors.
• Processes equipment between patients as needed (cleans unit based equipment and gathers supplies needed to operate equipment). Operates and maintains general office equipment.
• Leads streamlined, timely and comprehensive admission, transfer, and discharge processes keeping the patient experience as the top focus. Assists in coordination of patient flow into/out of area using department/unit specific software and Intranet. Is aware of unit outcomes and metrics and promotes process improvement initiatives that add value to our outcomes and/or organizational mission.
• Welcomes and assists patients and visitors; assists with registration. Serves as "face" of the unit; role models service excellence behaviors at all times.
• Demonstrates excellent telephone etiquette and interpersonal skills when answering phones and interacting with patients, visitors, physicians, and other health professionals.
• Receives and screens incoming calls via telephone and patient call system. Routes calls to appropriate individuals and takes messages accurately.
• Monitors cleanliness of the waiting and break rooms, and performs safety/environmental rounds on unit and with multidisciplinary team members.
• Participates in the sitter process (if competencies appropriate).
• Assists with maintaining regulatory compliance. (refrigerator, glucose meters, equipment room storage, assisting with code cart checks as assigned etc)
• May be responsible for phlebotomy (competency appropriate)
• May conduct nonsterile wound care dressings (competency appropriate)
• May replace and remove saline locks (competency appropriate)
• May do colostomy bag changes (competency appropriate).

Job Scope:

May be required to support multiple nursing units. Interacts with unit staff, patients, physicians, families, visitors, management, ancillary departments, and the general public. Maintains patient, staff and customer confidentiality. If assigned to perform patient care tasks, must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development through the life span, possess the ability to recognize and report data reflective of the patient's status, interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his or her age and specific needs, and provide the care needed as described in departmental policies and procedures. May be required to sit with patients on suicide precautions or confusion. Ability to perform responsibilities in a fast-paced environment, requiring use of prioritization and time management skills. May be exposed to infectious diseases, biohazardous and hazardous materials, including regulated medical wastes, and combative patients. Prolonged periods of sitting, visualizing computer screen and using keyboard may be necessary. May be required to work at multiple Carilion facilities.

Organizational Responsibility: Functions as a key member of the health care team and performs tasks as delegated by licensed staff.

Communication: Interacts with unit staff, patients, physicians, families, visitors, management, ancillary departments, and the general public.

Confidentiality: Maintains patient, staff and customer confidentiality.

Financial Responsibility: Suggests cost containment initiatives in immediate work unit/department. Judgment: High probability that errors in work are detected.

Physical Demands/Hazards: May be exposed to infectious diseases, biohazardous materials and combative patients. Physical requirements include lifting, prolonged periods of standing, bending, pushing, pulling, reaching, and walking.

Job Responsibilities: Work is performed in patient care environment and is often fast-paced, requiring use of prioritization skills.

Compliance: Follows set guidelines and procedures in the execution of daily tasks. Work is reviewed by others to ensure compliance goals are met.

Age-specific Responsibilities: Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of life span growth and development. Observes and documents data reflective of the patients' status, interprets the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his or her age and specific needs, and provides the care needed as described in departmental policies and procedures.

Successful candidate MUST BE able to attend required orientation classes during daytime hours, Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm for the first 2 weeks. These classes are mandatory!

What We Require:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent education required.

Experience: Previous experience in direct patient care preferred.

Licensure, certification, and/or registration: Certified Nursing Assistant preferred. If employee is working in a critical access facility, a Certified Nursing Assistant is required.

Life Support: AHA BLS-HCP required within 6 months of hire.

Other Minimum Qualifications: Effective interpersonal, communication, and teamwork skills required. Must successfully complete orientation and competency validation for position.

This job description is only meant to be a representative summary of the major responsibilities and accountabilities performed by the incumbents of this job. The incumbents may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those stated in this description.